SAN LEANDRO — An all-too-common crime came to an uncommon end Monday, police said.
Around 4:20 p.m. Monday, police responded to a coffee shop, where they found a male victim who said he had been working on his laptop when someone snatched it from his table and ran off.
As the thief ran to a waiting vehicle, a witness copied down its license plate and shared a description with officers, who began searching the area.
After sharing the description with other nearby law enforcement, police found the vehicle in Oakland with four juveniles inside. The laptop was returned to its owner after it turned up inside a backpack worn by one juvenile, a 16-year-old later arrested by officers.
“The theft of laptops from coffee shop patrons is becoming a popular crime all over the Bay Area,” San Leandro Police Lieutenant Isaac Benabou said.
“Thankfully, an observant witness was able to obtain the suspect vehicle information and provide that to the victim. Without this information, this crime may have gone unsolved.”
Contact George Kelly at 408-859-5180.